As we head into winter, with less daylight and chilly temps and a renewed appreciation for our little fireplace in the living room, Kathleen and I welcome the somewhat regular televised Iowa basketball games into our home.
Last night it was the women scrapping their way to victory over a very strong Virginia Tech team (both teams made the Final Four last spring), with Caitlin Clark having an "off night" and still producing 44 points. She could easily have had double digit assists, as well, but we had some difficulties with layups. Some of that could have been due to a 6'6" center altering shots.
The game was played in North Carolina, billed as a special event, and it drew not only a national audience on ESPN but over 15,000 to the arena. This was reportedly the largest crowd for a women's basketball game ever in the Tar Heel state. The TV announcers claimed that not only are all Iowa women's games in Carver Hawkeye sold out, but that many of their away games are also selling out.
They called this "Clarkenomics," based on the incredible revenue that all those sold out games and events can generate. Last night's game produced nearly $3 million in associated revenue for the Charlotte area and each team was paid a cool $150,000 just to show up and play. In November. It's a bit nutty.
We have joined on the screen so many of those Iowa women over the past decade (thanks, Big Ten Network) that we feel we have some sort of relationship to favorites like Kate Martin... I know. It's completely one-sided and artificial, but we honestly care, and not just about victories.
It's a weird sort of bonus to know that Grace will be attending most home games this season, enjoying some of the same excitement as we used to for many years with our own season tickets (but only to men's games, back then).
Speaking of men, the men's team has its second game tonight and we haven't seen them play as of yet, but there are some new players, including some freshmen, and it won't be long until we are in the grasp of the full range of emotions as the team battles with its opponents.
I'm not sure I can measure the feeling, but I am certain that I am a little bit happier after an Iowa win than after a loss. It's not logical, but it's clear that winning beats losing. I know. That's quite the insight.
The same lack of logic will apply to tomorrow's Iowa-Rutgers football game, pitting two mediocre teams (though the Hawks are 7-2 and could end up playing in the Big Ten Championship game in December) with two unproductive offenses against one another.
The best athletic teams (like the Iowa women) combine "style points" with the actual scores to provide entertainment to vast crowds. But the beauty of sports is that one of the teams will win (the exception is regular season soccer, of course), no matter the skill levels and entertainment value.
I wouldn't say I "live and die" with the Hawks -- after all, I suffered through 17 consecutive losing seasons in the woe begotten 1970s and 80s... and survived -- but I continue to root strongly for teams I only see on TV. Old habits die hard, I suppose.
As an Iowa fan, I am well aware that my dreams will always be squashed at some point. That one of my teams will underperform at the exact wrong time and not reach the pinnacle. But Iowa fans relish being the underdog, the underappreciated... at least a bit.
The state of Iowa in the past decade has disappointed me in so many ways, mostly politically, but at least there are athletics, and not just at UI. Another bleak winter is looming, but Iowa fans can join in a mystical communion, warmed by TV screens.
Now, if only some of our friends and neighbors could shake the Trump cult. In the meantime... Go, Hawks!
No comments:
Post a Comment